


(feels like we only go backwards, darling)

by AceFreckles



Category: One Piece
Genre: I Can't Believe I Wrote This, Law cries a lot in this, Law just love him so much guys, M/M, Pirate King Monkey D. Luffy, Post-Canon, Trafalgar D. Water Law Needs a Hug, he can't stop crying because of this, he just love his boyfriend okay??, the crews are just mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:09:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22397608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceFreckles/pseuds/AceFreckles
Summary: Life goes in circles, apparently.(or where the pirate king had to give too much and leave too soon.)
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Mugiwara Kaizoku | Strawhat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 6
Kudos: 89





	(feels like we only go backwards, darling)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there, everyone.  
> I wrote this fic a while ago for a collection of one shot i have published in another site in spanish, so the tittle and the summary really has been a pain in the ass to think of, so i just put a song lyric. I have been stuck in a writer block lately and wanted to make something different, and then i thought about translating this one to english and share it with you.  
> I hope you all like it. English isn't my first lenguague and i learned it on my own, so i hope it isn't that bad to read.

Law couldn’t help himself but smile when he feels Luffy’s rough fingertips tracing the outlines of the tattoo on his chest, paying a special kind of attention to the smiling jolly roger. Despite the lovely atmosphere around them, Luffy has been oddly quiet and Law can’t help but to feel like something is wrong, he wants to ask but is also afraid of whatever that makes someone like the pirate king to be reluctant to open his mouth. 

“Hey, Torao” Luffy said, bringing Law attention back to him. The surgeon tips his head to the side, and look at luffy while one of his tattoed hands search for luffy smaller hand and he intertwined their fingers “did you know that Gol D. Roger wasn’t captured by the navy?” 

Law frowns and Luffy who is already used to his gestures just keep talking. “He was really sick and there wasn’t a treatment for his sickness, so he sailed the grand line and became the pirate king. His last command as a captain was to disband his crew and then handed himself to the navy.” 

“How do you know that?” Law ask, briefly remembering that old tale about the hero of the marines capturing him after a big fight. 

“Rayleigh told us” Luffy answers, and his expression becomes weirdly soft and Law feels his stomach drops because Luffy hands tremble between his. Law think backs to Luffy fight against doflamingo and Luffy hands never waver. Law remembers Luffy fight against Kaido, standing on his feets just because his determination to win and his hands didn’t shake that time either. “I don’t know how to say this, Law”

“Tell me what?” Law demands, ignoring if this time his voice tremble and looks desperate, but Luffy only use his name when he is serious about something. 

“I’m sick” Luffy breaths, sitting on his knees in the bed, looking at the yonko straight in the eyes, and the man apparently still doesn’t register what Luffy said. “My internal organs are severely damaged just like my muscles and my heart isn’t doing that great either. Chopper said it is because the strain my techniques put on my body and other things that I didn’t understand while he cried” 

Law doesn’t know what to feel neither what to say.   
Empty, that is the closest word he can think to explain what he’s feeling.  
The only word he can find in his extensive vocabulary to explain the horrible constriction on his chest that doesn’t let him breath properly.   
Empty is what it makes him feel thinking in a world without Luffy’s laughter, without his whining for food, without his warm hands caressing his face or without his dark eyes painted in need looking back at him when they reunite after some time away of each other… and even worst, a world without that kind smile, which is the cure to all the stupid concerns that Law has in his head. 

“Law” Luffy says again, with his rubbery fingers caressing Law face, chasing away the tears, trying to comfort him and that gesture alone, of Luffy comforting him when he is the one who is going to die makes Law want to cry all over again.   
  
“Let me practice the eternal youth surgery on you” Law says, after of a few seconds of thinking what he can do to not lose the other pirate. He doesn’t doubt Chopper and his assessment, but Law devil fruit gives him the power to give immortality to another human “it will heal any sickness.“ 

“and living knowing that I was healed in exchange of your own life?” Luffy spat, scowling deeply at the surgeon and Law is surprised that the younger pirate knows that “I was there when mingo asked you to do that” 

“And what if my life is the price?” Law answer, his voice sounds angry as he feels, putting a hand on Luffy chest and shoving him back, hard “I would die with a smile on my face if my life can prolong yours!”

Luffy smiles tenderly at him, squeezing the hand Law has still shoved in his chest “I always knew the price I had to pay to achieve my dream and accepted it with a smile on my face” Luffy says,with a proud smile on his face “I’m the pirate king and everyone on my crew had achieved their dreams, what more can I ask of life for?” 

“You’re such a damn selfish moron” Law says, with an angry quivering voice, because he knows deep down that the only one being selfish is him “You know about every person i have lost and how hard has been for me to overcome it… and if you die, i know this time i will never get over this, because I can save you, and you don’t let me” 

“You’ll get better” Luffy says, with that irking determination of his “because torao is stronger now and has a crew that adores him” 

_'don’t you understand?,'_ the little voice in Law head ask, while luffy eyes keep looking straight at him with such raw emotions of love that it makes Law heart hurts ' _Nothing matters if you aren’t here. My only goal for 13 years was to kill doflamingo and failed at it, you took all that burden in your shoulders and carried out the will of a man that you didn’t know for another one who lied to you for an alliance. You stretched out your hand to me, smiling while you shown me the path, pointing all the things I didn’t realize I had and never appreciated. You returned the smile that I had lost so many years ago in a far away sea and helped me to heal those lingering scars scattered on my heart. You have give so much, making me so dependant of you and now you’re telling me i’m losing you, too. How can I break it to you, Luffy, that I have never been strong, i’m just another planet caught in you axis, in the radiance of your will. How could I explain you that you’re the sun at the center of my galaxy?'_  
  
Law snorts at Luffy’s worried face so close of his, while trying to keep his tears at bay. 

“Smile, torao!” Luffy demands, with a smile so big in his face that in any other person it would look painful “I want you to remember me smiling!” 

And Law gives his best smile, ignoring the tears that slide down his cheeks, letting Luffy kiss them and clean them with his thumb. 

**#**

A month after their departure and the dreadful news about Luffy condition that their meeting brings, that Law gets a call of the pirate king. 

“I have the details about my execution and what will happen after it” Luffy said

“When will it be?”  
“In 4 months, in my home town in the east blue. My crew and my allies will never be persecuted” 

“and how are you so sure of that? They can always be lying to make you accept”  
“I talked about it with Coby, we are friends”   
“Let it to you to know some big shot in the navy like the fleet admiral” Law says  
“shi shi shi”  
“Don’t you think it is too soon?” Law ask, voice almost as a whisper “Four months is too little bit of time”  
  
“Is just a matter of time before symptoms of my sickness show. I don’t want to be seen sick and weak, If i’m going to die, I want it to be under my own conditions” 

“The death of the late pirate king brought a new era” Law said, thinking in the 28 years of the execution of that man and the golden era he bring with his death “and you, the new king, exposed the true history and challenged to the whole world to a damn fight… what will your death bring if the sea has changed again after you were crowned as the king?”

“Is even simpler than what you think, torao” Luffy said, the den den mushi smirks as the man in the other side does “there isn’t one piece to search for neither the title of pirate king to obtain, i’ll be the last king and prove that one can accomplish his dreams in this world” 

“Your mind always works in the most strange ways, uh”   
Luffy just laughs, asking about how is his crew and about his adventures as yonkou. When the call cames to it end, Luffy makes (wet) sound kisses and promise they will meet soon. 

# 

They meet again when there is only two months for Luffy execution, is evident for Law that the crew of the pirate king knows about his condition by the way they see to be even more around him at every moment of the day. When everyone else goes to bed, they sit together in sunny’s head with the little captain resting comfortable his back against the surgeon chest. 

“What do you think happens when one dies, torao?” Luffy ask, voice almost a whisper while they look at the sea in front of them. 

Law who is a rational man has the answer at the tip of his tongue, he knows that in the first 48 hour the body goes rigid because of the rigor mortis, the dead cells helps with the rotting of the corpse and the skin retract because of the dehydration of the body, but Law know that isn’t the answer Luffy is looking for. 

“I’m not really sure,” Law answered with sincerity, his long fingers play with black locks of hair while hears Luffy humming softly “I have seen too much of the world to believe in heaven or hell, but I’d like to believe there is a place where we can meet again with the people we loved in life”   
Law said, thinking in the smiling faces of his parents, his sister and the silly smile of cora-san. 

Luffy bring a hand down to his chest, where his scar lay, like he always do when he thinks about his brother “If i could meet Ace again...that would make me really, really happy” 

Law smile, kissing Luffy neck, when he feels the pirate king move in his lap to turn around and sit in a way that their nose touch each other. 

“This is the last time we will meet” Luffy said, making Law breath deep “I want you to cry when I die, but I don’t want you to stop living. I want you to take care of your crew and yourself, I know you have been sleeping even less lately and that’s because of me. Remember, I want you to keep smiling” 

Law nods, there’s a lump in his throat that doesn’t let him talk properly and Luffy hugs him, leaving little kisses around his face. Law finally finds his voice and whispers time and time again, against Luffy skin.

“I love you, I love you, I love you…” 

  
**#**

The place for the execution is a little town in a rotten kingdom in the East blue, there are marines, civilians and pirates waiting for the moment when the pirate king will be taken to the platform. Law can identify some faces on the crowd who share the same anguish he’s feeling. There are Kanshi den den mushi to cover the event to the whole world in video, the navy wants to make a lesson of Luffy death’s to all pirates and end for once with the ambition of people have to be the pirate king. 

Luffy is guided by two marines to the platform, both hands cuffed with sea stone at his back and without his trademark strawhat. He is forced on his knees and two swords are near his neck. There is a irking silence and someone in the audience has the guts to repeat the same question that started the golden era of piracy 28 years ago. 

“Pirate king! What happened with your treasure? the one piece!”   
“The little gold we find on Raftel was spended on a big party and a bronze statue” Luffy said, everything is in silence as people couldn’t believe what he is saying “There isn’t a legendary treasure to keep searching for and the true history has been revealed to never let it be repeated again” 

“Silence” one of the soldiers barks to the public before looking down at luffy “Your last words?” 

Luffy breaths deep, searching for the teary eyed faces of his crew and smiling for them a last time. 

“It has been a wonderful life!” Luffy shout, and even among the chains and sword resting against his throat he keeps his upright posture like a king. In a brief moment he recalls the labored breathing of his dear brother while he said certain words, that now Luffy understand and shares completely “The way I have lived my life… I have no regrets!” 

Both swords go through his body but even that isn’t enough to erase the big smile on his face. The pirate king leaved this world and embraced his death with a smile and open arms. There are people in the audience crying, laughing and cheering. There are people starting a revolution, people thinking about to start an adventure and seek to obtain as much freedom as the pirate king had in life.

This the flame he wanted to light. This one is the same scenario he wanted to trigger… this so classical of Luffy that Law can’t help to smile among his bitter tears. 

**Author's Note:**

> A kanshi den den mushi is that one mushi for videos  
> *crying* I hope you all liked it.  
> you can follow me or come to talk w me on [tumblr](https://twinkluffy.tumblr.com/)


End file.
